Shopsmith Forums

There have been many improvements to the equipment and updates to information contained here on the forum. Over the past few months the information that is available regarding the 10/10E/10ER has seen marked expansions. This is great. Thanks must go out to all who have contributed.

BUT

I just wish there was a similar expansion of information available for the 500/505/510/520 series of machines. There have been many changes/improvements to these machines over the years that have never been obviously documented. Many of the changes simply got incorporated into subsequent versions of the documentation but were never highlighted.

As a simple example: the scroll saw today versus earlier models OR the original 500 table versus the table today.

Dusty,
I hope this is a good start on what you are looking for in this thread. Some of the actual dates for the changes listed are missing so if anyone has them I can add them to this PDF. Examples - Does anyone know when the "B" headstock changed from the sideways "Y" opening to a rectangle for the speed control? When did the belt cover change from 6 screws to 2 screws to hold it on? When were the 505 and 500 models discontinued? I am sure there are other small changes that are not on this list.

FWIW my #353530 Greenie (1958?) has two screws on the belt cover.

Dusty and Russ,

I will be plowing that ground too in coming months and love the fact that you both are also working to discover and preserve Mark 5 and Mark V history.

Blessings my friends

Everett

chapmanruss wrote:Dusty,
I hope this is a good start on what you are looking for in this thread.
Mark 5-V changes.pdf
Some of the actual dates for the changes listed are missing so if anyone has them I can add them to this PDF. Examples - Does anyone know when the "B" headstock changed from the sideways "Y" opening to a rectangle for the speed control? When did the belt cover change from 6 screws to 2 screws to hold it on? When were the 505 and 500 models discontinued? I am sure there are other small changes that are not on this list.

That is a great start. Thank you. I will add to that list what I can personally vouch for as soon as I get back into my shop. First POD arrives late next week.

Is it significant to note that a Model 505 is, in reality, a Model 510 without floating tables (or vice versa with you prefer).

Since someone is collecting this information I have the a date when the second slot was eliminated on the saw table. The document is listed as PL867 1/80.

Now when the actual tables appeared with out the slot is another thing all together.

Ed

I am collecting everything on Shopsmith... even communications between Shopsmith and their dealer network....

Many of the dates of products introduction and ending of manufacture are embedded in them. Finding them is a challenge.

I am working in the background patiently with a number of folks who are quite experienced in years of life to record their stories and comments before they are gone.

It is a task that requires respectful engagement and patience. One never knows who has what document secreted away in their collection of papers that many might wish to see. Preserving them, and the stories of the People of Shopsmith, whether employees, dealers or owners is enlightening.

As I encounter some folks in more distant locations, I may be reaching out to some of colleagues here to help me gather information, scan documents geographically close to them, and meet with some of the finest people we could ever hope to know before they are gone.

Any volunteers who could see yourselves helping in this quest?

Everett

I volunteer and have in my possession a 'vu-point' scanner with power feed.

I'm not sure of the date yet, There are two types of main tables out there on the 510's mine has ribs across the entire table and I have seem some where the center blade area is a solid flat section and the ribs are on the outer edges on the top. Wish I more. For now I gotta call shopsmith today my power pro won't turn on. It should be still under warranty.

kd6vpe,
you said

I'm not sure of the date yet, There are two types of main tables out there on the 510's mine has ribs across the entire table and I have seem some where the center blade area is a solid flat section and the ribs are on the outer edges on the top.

There was a change in the table system of the 510 in 1986, about a year after the introduction of the model 510/505. When ordering the 510 to 520 upgrade there is one for earlier than 86 and one for 86 and later. Older tables are painted gray instead of black as they currently are (date change unknown.) The Table itself for the 510/520 & M7 is the same, it is the fence system that is different between the 510/505 and the 520 & M7. My 2001 Mark V 520 has the smooth center section on the table the same as currently shown in the online catalog. Do you know the date of manufacture for your 510 and which fence tubes it has? Early ones had holes in the tubes for mounting, later ones did not.

Ed, it sounds like the second table slot was eliminated about the same time as the name on the Shopsmith itself changed from Mark 5 to Mark V.

Dusty, I do know that the 505 is a 510 without the floating tables and Shopsmith sold it both ways for a time. I do not know when they quit selling the 505 model. I do know since the have discontinued the original table system, model 500, they no longer make parts for it. I found that out when I needed to replace the rear trunnion on one of the "Greenies" I restored. They still have many of the parts but are not making new replacement parts.